Thursday, May 17, 2007

21st century killing fields

So there's a new immigration bill being proposed. Foremost, they propose that it will be skill and not family ties that will determine a path to "legalization" or citizenship.

As if the majority of undocumented immigrants are not hardworking and dedicated enough.

A few weeks ago, I attended a presentation of a group of U of Arizona students who did an alternative spring break in the border towns of Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. They were hosted by local partners and the U of A Newman Center. What struck me the most was what one student observed about the border fence and tighter border security measures. They said that these structures have funneled border crossers into the Arizona desert or areas with harsh physical (and even security) conditions.

Only the fittest survive.

Only the fittest survive to work and serve in America.

How did the beauty of the desert end up becoming America's killing fields?